Charlotte was the happiest she’d ever been. She had married early in life, at 16 years old, and the birth of a son only a year later made her life complete. She was happy she had provided a son to help Ethan out on the farm when he got older.
Ethan, too, was happy he had a son. He had just filed on his claim and was in the middle of building his homestead, providing a secure shelter for his wife and son. They were just starting out life on their own after living with family for awhile.
In October 1854, Charlotte gave birth again, this time to a girl, whom she named Colleen. Though she once again felt the joy that came with a newborn child, it was a difficult labor, and Ethan spent a few worrisome hours wondering if his wife would make it. Still, she pulled through it. Soon she was back up and around again, loving her husband, her children, and her farm with all her heart.
And then it all began to change. In 1855, the farm began to fare poorly. The crop wasn’t good, the harvest season didn’t yield much, leaving almost nothing to sell. It was then that the midwife came back to the homestead to examine Charlotte, and told her that she wouldn't have anymore children. It was a bad year.
The next year the grasshoppers came, covering all green things- eating the crops, the grass, the trees, anything alive. Ethan was beyond frustration, Charlotte was at her wits’ end. Again there was no crop. To keep some money in the household, Charlotte took to midwifing herself, wanting to learn as much as she could to help others through their labors.
In 1857, the grasshoppers came again.
In early 1858, Charlotte was at the end of her rope. She so wanted a child, even though the money wasn't there. It wasn't fair, she thought. She know God meant for her to have one more child. She prayed fervently every day, asking for some sign that she would have another one. Then, one day, in the midst of her washing, Charlotte spied something on the barren ground. All alone, surrounded by the brown-ness of a land that had been destroyed by the grasshoppers, Charlotte found a four-leaf clover. She knew it was a sign from God. She would have another child.
In July 1858, Charlotte discovered she was pregnant again. Though she was ecstatic to be with child, all of a sudden she was worried as well. Three years without a crop, the money was barely there. A third child on the way, well…financially things would be even tougher.
That harvest fared a little better, for the grasshoppers were gone, but there still wasn’t enough to pay back the mortgage note. Ethan was becoming more and more withdrawn, and usually came in from town speaking of heading West to look for gold. The gold rush was on, and it would solve their money problems.
Charlotte let him talk. Sure, they needed money, but it was likely they’d be doing better in harvests to come, and with two young children plus one on the way, she didn’t want to pull up roots and make an arduous journey. So Ethan kept talking. And Charlotte didn’t make anything of it.
And then, in January of 1859, seven months pregnant with her third child, Ethan came in whistling from town.
"Charlotte!! Charlotte!!" he called as he came in the front door.
He found her with eight-year-old Matthew and four-year-old Colleen. She was making paper dolls for her daughter, handing them to Colleen as she finished with them, all the meanwhile trying to teach Matthew words in his primer.
"R-A-T spells rat!" Ethan found her saying.
Ethan looked at his family for a moment, then a wide grin burst on his face. "I sold it, Charlotte," he told her.
"Sold what, Ethan?" she asked him.
"The farm!" he said, jubilated. "We’re goin’ minin’ for gold at Pike’s Peak!"
"What in heavens are you talking about?" she asked, irritated.
"We’re gonna be rich!" he swooped her into his arms and began dancing.
Charlotte put a stop to that right away. She pushed Ethan away, and sank back to the floor, trying to pull Colleen into her lap, but having trouble because her stomach was so big. "You sold the farm?" her voice was quiet.
"Yes Ma’am!" said Ethan, still not noticing her quietness.
"We’re going West?" she continued.
"To look for gold!"
"Have you completely lost your mind?" she nearly yelled at him.
That brought him out of his reverie. "Why Charlotte, I thought you’d be happy. You didn’t seem to mind all those times I talked to you about it. I thought you liked the idea."
"Liked? Ethan, I was just lettin’ you talk! How can we pull up roots from here! " She struggled to get up, having trouble. Ethan pulled her to her feet. "We have two young children, and it’s only two months before the third one’s comin’. You want us to go West now?"
Ethan looked at her sheepishly. "C’mon, Charlotte. I know it’ll be hard, you bein’ pregnant and all, but just think of the silver! We can make it rich out there, I know we can. And then you’ll never have to lift another finger again. I promise you."
Charlotte sighed. "You sold the homestead already?"
"Yup," said Ethan. "Man from the East offered to pay us $200 for it, plus pay off the note."
"Then it doesn’t look like we have much of a choice now, does it?." She sighed. "We leave the day after tomorrow, Ethan," she said, taking charge as usual. "I want to get there as soon as possible, ‘cause I’m not having my baby in the wagon in the middle of nowhere! And God help you if we get stuck in blizzard, since you’ve decided to pull this fool idea in the middle of January! Because then you’ll have me to reckon with, and I assure you, you will NOT like it. Get the papers from the bank, and bring them here to me, so I can read it over and make sure we’re not gettin’ ripped off." She took a breath. "I will have the children ready, and you’d better have everything else."
Ethan smiled. "I love you, Charlotte Cooper. I’ll git myself to the bank right now. You don’t got to worry about a thing," he ran out of the homestead.
"Have to worry," Charlotte called after him, correcting his grammar. She sighed. She didn’t know how she’d get through the next two months. But one thing was for sure. Ethan was happier than she’d seen him in years.
It was sad saying goodbye to the folks back in Topeka. Laura Belmont, her best friend in the whole wide world was there, not to mention her and Ethan’s folks. She didn’t know if she’d ever see them again. It wasn’t likely. They were heading West. West, she scoffed to herself, on some wild notion of Ethan’s that likely wouldn’t pan out, no pun intended. But it was almost worth it, she assured herself, to see Ethan this happy. Maybe things would turn out for the best.
Thank the Lord, that winter was nice and dry. In the plains, a place famous for their blizzards, there were only endless days of stiff cold and sun. By the end of February, they had made it into Colorado Territory. Their first stop, on the first of March, was in Denver, where they bought more supplies, and tried to find out from the townsfolk where a good place to settle down would be.
Ethan walked into the saloon and tipped his hat to the bartender. "I’ll have a whiskey," he said, as he sat down.
"Howdy, stranger," said the man sitting next to him. He looked him over. "You a rancher?"
"Naw," chuckled Ethan. He became serious. "I’m a miner. Least...I will be, as soon as I find me a place. Headin’ towards Pike’s Peak."
The man guffawed. "Yes, sir, you and the rest of the whole damn United States." He leaned in privately. "Myself, I’m headin’ to Calee-fornee-ya." Now that’s where the real minin’ is."
"Ya don’t say?" asked Ethan.
The man held out his hand. "Name’s Townsend."
Ethan took it. "Ethan Cooper." He looked around the saloon. "Pretty nice town, don’t ya say?"
"Yup," the man chortled. " ’Specially the ‘entertainment,’ if ya know what I mean." He elbowed Ethan.
Ethan smiled. "Well now, I wouldn’t know about that," he said. "I got me a wife and two kids out there," he pointed outside the bar. "And a third one due any day," he said proudly.
"Really now!" exclaimed Townsend. He slapped Ethan’s back. "I’d say that calls for a celebration! Hey you!" he yelled at the bartender. "Please give my new friend here another whiskey! He’s got a baby comin’!"
"Congratulations," the bartender said, pouring the drink. Ethan took it and sipped it, smiling.
"So, Townsend," said Ethan, "You know any settlements around the Peak area that’d be good to settle down in?"
"I know half a dozen," said Townsend. "Don’t mean they’re gonna stick around though. You know those shanty towns, here today, gone tomorrow. My friend, I suggest you keep headin’ West to Calee-fornee-ya!"
Ethan shook his head. "Naw," he said. "My wife’s due any day. It’s been hard on her this past month. Sometimes I think it was just foolish of me comin’ out here with her like this. But we’re here, and I think it’s best we settled down already."
"Well, Cooper, you don’t know what you’re missin’ out on," said Townsend. "But I got a good place in mind, I think," he went on. "Almost at the base of Pike’s Peak, bee-yoo-tee-ful view, and a minin’ Mecca. Name’s Colorado Springs, purtiyest place I ever set my eyes on yet."
"Colorado Springs," murmured Ethan, feeling the words run over his tongue. "I like the sound of that," he grinned, turning back to his friend. "I thank you kindly, Townsend. Colorado Springs is where we’ll be a-headin’."
It took two days to reach Colorado Springs. Charlotte, now in her ninth month, was counting the minutes to when she would go into labor.
The wagon rattled into town. Colleen and Matthew squirmed, tired of being in the wagon so long. "Ma, can me and Colleen get down and walk awhile?" asked Matthew.
Exhausted as she was, Charlotte still corrected him. "It’s Colleen and I, Matthew, and I don’t think that’s a good idea right now," she said.
Ethan spoke up. "There’s a mercantile over there, Charlotte," he pointed out. "I need to go ask where I can file on the claim we saw headin’ here. Why don’t I take the kids with me?"
"Sure," she said, breathlessly, closing her eyes. "I’ll wait here for you."
The kids jumped out of the wagon into their Pa’s arms before he set them down. "This is Colorado Springs," he told them as they walked towards the store. "How do you like it?"
"It’s okay," said Matthew. "But Pa, why’d we leave Topeka? I liked it there."
"You’ll like it here too," Ethan assured his children. "Here, we’re gonna mine, and strike it rich!"
"Rich!" squealed Colleen.
They entered the store. The owner, Loren Bray, looked up from the accounts he was totaling. "Can I help you, Mister?" he asked.
"I’m uh, can you tell me where the nearest post office is? I need to file on a claim."
Loren shook his head. "Sorry mister, we don’t have a post office here. You need to file a claim, you gotta go into Denver for that. Same thing with mail, gotta go to Denver."
"Denver?" Ethan looked pained.
"Yup," said Loren, picking up his pencil and returning to his accounts.
Ethan bought some licorice and gumdrops for Colleen and Matthew and returned to the wagon.
"Oh Ethan," admonished Charlotte. "You’re gonna spoil them." But a smile leaked out of her mouth.
"We got a problem, honey," Ethan said, putting Matthew and Colleen back in the wagon and climbing in beside his wife.
She didn’t even bother to correct him. "What is it?" she asked.
"Nearest place to file a claim is Denver."
She surprised him. "So go back to Denver."
"And leave you here all alone? No way. I’ll wait till after the baby comes and then go back to Denver."
"Ethan," she said, annoyed. "You have to file on the claim before someone else does. We wait till after the baby comes and it might be too late."
He looked down at his hands. She was right. But he still shouldn’t leave her alone.
"Let me sleep on it," he told her. "We’ll make the decision tomorrow." And in the meadow on the outskirts of town, they made their camp for the night.
Bright and early the next morning, before Charlotte or the kids were up, Ethan arose and crossed the bridge into town. Mr. Bray was sweeping off the porch of his establishment as he walked by, and the storeowner tipped his hat to Ethan Cooper.
"Good day, Mister," he said as Cooper passed him.
"Yes, it is," said Ethan absentmindedly. He kept walking.
"Hey, I didn’t catch your name yesterday in the store!" Loren called after him. "Mine’s Loren Bray. You plannin’ on settlin’ down here?"
Ethan stopped, turned around, and came back. "Yes, sir, that I am. I’m Ethan Cooper. Got my claim picked out, a little East of here. Just decidin’ if I should go now and leave my wife behind while I file. She’s due any day now, you know."
Loren shook his head. "Mighty tough decision, sonny, but now that it’s March, the spring rush will be on. Best to file now before anyone gets to it first."
Ethan nodded, and left the man behind, still sweeping. He walked back towards the wagon, his thoughts whisking him to another place altogether.
Back at the wagon, Charlotte had risen, and was preparing breakfast before waking the children. She saw Ethan coming and attempted to get up to greet him good morning.
"Good morning, honey," she murmured, as he pulled her to him.
"How’s my favorite wife doing this fine day?" he whispered in her ear. She swatted him with her dishtowel.
"Favorite, huh? I better be your only wife," she laughed. Then she grew serious. "You gonna head off to Denver?"
He sighed. "I think I’m gonna have to," he said. "I don’t want to leave you here, but I was just talking to Mr. Bray, the mercantile owner, and he said the spring rush is on. People are gonna be snapping up claims just as fast as they can."
Charlotte tried not to look disappointed. "Well, you better go then. You leave now, maybe you can make it back by day after tomorrow."
"But what about you?" he said. "What if you have the baby?"
"Oh, don’t worry about me," she scoffed. "First off, I won’t let him come while you’re gone. Anyways, I’ve had two already, and they came out just fine," she smiled. "Least ways, I think so." She burst out laughing. " ’Sides, I’ve been midwifing folks for years now, I think I can handle my own baby." She saw his worried glance. "Don’t worry Ethan, he’s not gonna come while you’re gone."
Ethan nodded. "Alright then, I leave as soon as I can get you settled on the claim."
Ethan left by noon. Charlotte and the children were left with the wagon in the middle of the claim Ethan was to file on as soon as he got to Denver.
Charlotte looked at the land around her and burst into tears.
Matthew had come up behind her. "What’s the matter, Ma?" he said. She reached over and gave him a hug.
"Oh, nothing, Matthew," she said to him. "Nothing you need to worry about anyway."
"When’s Pa comin’ back?" he asked.
"Day after tomorrow, probably," she told him. "I’m gonna need your help till then. You’re the man of this family while your Pa’s away, ‘kay?"
"Okay!" he seemed to like that. "I’ll take care of Colleen for you, Ma, don’t you worry. You gotta rest up."
She smiled weakly. "Thank you Matthew."
The day progressed, finally ending, and Charlotte put her two children to bed. She built up the fire slowly, then sat down by it, the rifle Ethan had left with her in her hands. Then she felt it. "Oh!" she cried aloud, her hands running to her stomach. This wasn’t happening now. She’d promised Ethan the baby wouldn’t come while he was away. But another contraction came. "No!" she yelled softly, so as not to wake the kids. She had told Ethan she could handle it, even if he wasn’t there. But she wasn’t sure that was so, especially all alone out here in the dark. Tears squeezed out of her eyes for the second time that day.
She heard rustling in the trees. It didn’t sound like a regular animal. Who was it? "Who’s there?!" she called out meekly. Could it be claim jumpers already? She thought of the predicament she was in. How could Ethan leave her all alone, pregnant and with two young kids while he ran off to Denver? They were gonna be murdered, in cold blood, their bodies just waiting when her husband returned. She shivered at the thought.
The rustling stopped and a man stepped out. She stood up and moved back. "Who are you?!" she yelled. "Stand back, I got a gun!" she waved it around. She felt another contraction. "Oh!" she lowered the gun and with one hand grabbed her abdomen.
The man raised his hands and froze. "Ma’am?" he said, quietly. "I was walking in these woods when I heard some cries. I stopped to see what was wrong. Are you okay?"
Another contraction came and she squeezed her eyes together. "Yes, I’m fine. Please, go on your way." She waved the gun at him.
"If you don’t mind my saying, ma’am," he said, "You don’t look fine to me."
"What’s your name?!!" she shouted, praying the children wouldn’t wake up.
"Sully," he said.
"You live around here?" she asked.
"No ma’am," he answered. "I’m on my way to a place called Colorado Springs. I’m a miner."
Another one. She laughed weakly, then cried out again. "My husband’s a miner. We’re new to Colorado Springs ourselves."
"Where is he?" Sully asked. "I mean, you look like you’re in quite a bit of pain," he said, eyeing her belly.
Unknown as this man was to her, oddly enough she felt like she could trust him. "He went to Denver today to file on our claim. This is our land," she said, a bit defiantly.
"He left you here, all alone, when you’re this...pregnant?" Sully asked incredulously. What kind of man would leave his wife when she was in the ...position this woman in front of him was in now?
"The spring rush is on," she said. "I told him to go."
He didn’t have to, Sully thought sourly.
"Anyways," Charlotte continued, "He’ll be back in two days. We’ll be fine until then." Another wave of pain hit her and she groaned out loud.
Sully sprang to help her. "Are you gonna last that long?" he asked her. He helped her sit down by the fire.
"I don’t think so," she moaned, as she rubbed her stomach. "I promised Ethan I wouldn’t let it come while he was away, and I think it’s comin’!"
"Well, you can’t stop nature from runnin’ its course," said Sully matter-of-factly. "Should I go into town, find a doctor for you or something?"
"No, no, I can do this," said Charlotte wincing. "I was a midwife back in Topeka. That’s where we’re from. Oh!" She screamed loudly.
Sully looked panicky. "Do you want me to get you anything?" He asked. He began backing away. "Maybe I should leave you alone - "
"No!" Charlotte shouted. Sully looked taken aback. "I’m sorry," she calmed down. "I just...please, don’t go. I don’t want to do this by myself. I told Ethan, my husband, I could do it myself, but now I don’t think I can. She held out her hand. "By the way, my name’s Charlotte."
Sully took her hand and squeezed it. "What can I do?"
"Just sit there. No, wait, I need you to boil some water. There’s a bucket over there. There’s a creek somewheres around here, I know it."
"I passed it walking through here," Sully said. "I know where it is." He took the bucket and ran towards the creek.
Charlotte shifted the position she was in. Her water broke. "Oh, dear God!" she couldn’t believe it was happening now.
Sully came back with the water and set it on the edge of the fire.
"My water just broke, Sully." She told him.
"Can you fix it?" he asked.
His ignorance on the subject so apparently clear, she began to laugh. She didn’t have the energy to explain it to him. "No! That means the baby’s coming!"
Her yells were apparently too loud.
"Ma?" Matthew came out of the wagon sleepily rubbing his eyes. "What’s the matter Ma?" He saw Sully standing by her and ran towards him. "You get away from my Ma!"
Sully caught him in his arms. "I’m not doing anything to your Ma. I just happened along this way. Your Ma’s having her baby."
Matthew turned to his mother. "Are you okay Ma?" he asked.
She nodded wearily. "Matthew, I know you aren’t gonna be able to sleep, but I need you to stay in the wagon with Colleen, okay? Don’t get out till I or Mr. Sully here say it’s okay."
Matthew nodded and ran back to the wagon.
The baby came at one o’clock. Charlotte delivered it without too much assistance from Sully. It was a pretty easy birth, this being her third one, and as she held the new baby in her arms she looked into the night sky.
"I knew it would be a boy," she told Sully as he sat next to her.
"How’d you know?" he asked her.
"Just a feeling. Call it a mother’s intuition." She glanced sideways at him. "Where are you from, Mr. Sully?"
He looked down at the stick he was whittling. "No place really." He worked hard at boring a hole into the stick.
"Oh c’mon, you must be from somewhere."
He looked over at her. "I guess from New York, ‘riginally. But I’ve been headin’ out West bit by bit since I was 11 years old."
"What about your folks?"
He looked into the far distance, then said quietly, "They’re dead. My Pa died when I was eight, my Ma when I was ten."
"You’ve been minin’ for awhile now?"
"Yes’m. I’ve been a powder-man for nearly six years now."
"Powder-man?" She was impressed. "That’s a dangerous job."
" ‘S-okay by me," he said nonchalantly. He tried to steer the subject away from himself. "Your husband will be back in two days? You sure now?"
"Yes, I’m sure." She was surprised at the abrupt change.
"I can’t believe he left you alone like this," she detected some anger in his voice.
"Why, Mr. Sully!" she said. "Ethan is a good man. He’s looking out for the best of all of us. He was concerned about the baby and me of course, but I convinced him to go."
Sully nodded, not at all convinced. "So...what are you going to name him?"
"Who? Oh, the baby? Well, now, I don’t know. I had planned on naming him after his father, but the way things came about unexpectedly...what’s your name, Mr. Sully?"
"My name?!" he was shocked. "Nothing to burden a kid with."
"C’mon," she wheedled. "I want to know."
"It’s Byron," he mumbled.
"What? Didn’t hear you," She said.
"I said, Byron," he repeated, a little louder this time.
She smiled profusely. He looked away, almost ashamed.
"What’s wrong with Byron?" She asked. "It’s a very nice name." She looked at her son. "Byron Cooper."
"Oh no you don’t," he told her. "You are not namin’ him Byron."
She saw the fire in his eyes. "But I’d like you to be a part of this night," she said softly. "You helped me when I needed someone most. I thank you for that, Byron Sully."
"Well, switch the letters around or something," he said. "Just no Byron, please?"
"Well then," she said. "What about Bryon? B-R-Y-O-N."
"Oh," he groaned. "Spell it normally please."
"Oh, alright," she said, exasperated. "Brian, B-R-I-A-N. There - you happy? It’ll be our secret."
"Brian," Sully whispered as he lightly touched the little baby’s hand. "That’s real nice of you Charlotte."
Byron Sully and Brian (Bryon) Cooper were bonded forever.